Nashville may call itself “Music City,” but Las Vegas has a lock on the good stuff. Jennifer Lopez, Barry Manilow, Enrique Iglesias, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and Paul Shaffer all headline big casino resort shows this month, while the Backstreet Boys, Cher and Celine Dion return to the mix next month.

But if you want to experience the really good stuff, the shows where you can lock eyes with the singers, tap your feet, sway your hips and feel like you’ve been transported back to O.G. Las Vegas, “you have to go to the places the musicians visit on their nights off,” says Craig Canter, a popular Vegas singer who favors Rat Pack tunes.

“Vegas has a lot of famous headliners and celebrities, but what visitors don’t know is that the city has a vibrant live music scene beyond the casino theaters,” Canter says. “Some great musicians have become local celebrities here. When they’re not out on tour or playing for big stars, they’re playing weekly gigs here, drawing huge crowds and inviting other musicians to come up and sing or perform.”

"A lot of Gladys Knight’s band members would do jams around town,” says Mark Giovi, a musician who runs a popular open mic night at the Tap House restaurant every Monday. “Celine’s musicians will often sit in around town, and so will band members for other headliners.”

“I play quite a bit around town, and so do other musicians” says Joey Melotti, a well-regarded Vegas songwriter and piano player who toured with famous singers such as Michael Bolton, Julio Iglesias and Rickie Lee Jones. He’s been a member of Manilow’s band for more than a decade.

“Barry’s show is scripted out, very detailed, so it’s fun to play around town on my own when we’re off.”

“Whatever kind of music you want, you can find it in Vegas if you know where to look,” Canter says. “A lot of it is just a short drive from the Strip, but there’s good music every day and from every genre. Lots of people want to find the Rat Pack music — Dean Martin, Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. — but now we’re introducing young people to it, too. And when they find it, they say it’s the best time they’ve ever had in Vegas.”

Here are a few top places where you can find your own Las Vegas beat. The best part? They’re located on the Strip or just a short drive away, and nearly all of them are free.

It’s the classic Vegas lounge you’ve been searching for: white tablecloths, bow-tied waiters, talented musicians, an intimate setting, reasonably priced food and drinks — and a crowd that knows how to have fun.

Don’t let the Romanesque statues outside or the red velour stage curtains inside fool you. This white-brick social club and Italian restaurant could certainly spill more stories than a wayward plate of the kitchen’s authentic Bolognese sauce. Sinatra (a club member) used to perform with Perry Como and Dean Martin on the tiny dining room stage where Rat Pack singer Jerry Tiffe and his tuxedo-clad band now belt out the classics to big crowds most Saturday and Sunday nights.

You’ll need a reservation for a table at dinner, but the bar is open seating and the staff are unfailingly friendly. And though it may seem that everybody else knows each other, you will not feel unwelcome here. Order a plate of handmade pasta and a glass of Chianti. The whole bill will set you back less than $20, which means you can easily spring for a canoli for dessert.

Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Dean Martin all played at the Italian American Club, an off-Strip social club and restaurant. Their music continues nightly with talented Rat Pack-style singers like Jerry Tiffe. Though it's a private membership club, the venue is free and open to the public.

(Michael Hiller/Special Contributor)

“It’s one of the coolest old-school places in Vegas,” says singer and band leader Mark Giovi. “You’ll feel like you’re back in the mob times, with old casino pictures on the walls. And the food is fantastic. Jerry Tiffe has been performing in lounges across Vegas for 40 years. He’s an icon.”

Can’t make it on a Saturday or Sunday night? Go anyway. Top singers take the stage on nights that Tiffe isn’t performing.

“If you’re in Vegas on a Monday night, You have to see Sante Fe and the Fat City Horns at the Copa Club," says Melotti, Manilow’s piano player. “Whenever I can, I sit in just to play with those guys because they are the best in the business.”

He’s right. Credit the success of the R&B-based band that’s one part Tower of Power, one part Earth Wind & Fire, and three parts pure Las Vegas to the talented ensemble that band leader Jerry Lopez has assembled. His 25-plus years as the band’s leader has given him a deep bench to work with, including musicians from big acts like Arturo Sandoval, Celine Dion, Donny and Marie Osmond, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Fans fly in from all over the U.S. (or extend their Vegas stay beyond the weekend) just to catch the band and its blazing horn section, tight vocals and lightning guitars. Sante Fe’s 90-minute set will be the best $10 cover charge you ever pay.

The show wraps up at 9 p.m. sharp so that band members (and a good portion of the audience) can trek next door to the dining room at Bootlegger Italian Bistro, where Vegas luminary Kelly Clinton hosts the city’s most popular open mic night each Monday.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie among musicians in town,” Melotti says. “They often pop in on Kelly’s open mic show. You never know who’s going to sit in. Sometimes it’s Santa Fe band members. Sometimes it’s her husband, Clinton Holmes, who’s a really big deal. Even Michael Bolton” has attended the show.

Don’t be put off by the weird name. This supper club and cocktail lounge tucked deep inside the Cosmopolitan resort opens each night at 6 with a jazz combo and sultry lead vocalists who sing all the standards and know how to work a room.

As they roam the dining room, singing and schmoozing, guests sip Dark and Stormy cocktails and tuck into a menu that ranges from crab Louie and briny oysters to ricotta agnolotti and beef Wellington.

And because the band knows it’s in a supper club, even the drummer plays softly enough for you to hear the person sitting across the table but with enough energy to know he’s in the game.

Local touring musician Ben Carey leads a team of seasoned music pros whose goal each Monday night is to attract young amateur talent to join in and jam with them. The “Pro Jam Mondays" house band can play everything from country to rock, and anybody who can pass a brief skills interview with Carey gets the green light to play with the band.

“We let strangers jump on the train and just hope that they don’t crash it,” Carey says. “We’ve had drummers, singers, guitarists, piano players, even a ukulele player. It’s unrehearsed and it’s free, so you never know what you’ll hear.”

Other notables

Cleopatra's Barge at Caesars Palace: The David Perrico Pop Strings Orchestra rocks the small, multitiered lounge each Friday and Saturday night with a 13-piece band that includes members of Celine Dion’s orchestra, a saxophone, trumpet, viola, three violins and two lead vocalists. INFO: Free. 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S. 866-227-5938, caesarspalace.com.

Nashville Unplugged at Rhythm & Riffs: Hit songwriters play their own music and tell the stories behind their famous lyrics in an intimate, all-acoustic show each Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. INFO: Free. 3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd. in Mandalay Bay Resort, 702-632-6112, mandalaybay.com.

Michael Hiller writes about Las Vegas, hotels and travel. He is the editor of Escapehatchdallas.com.